Ode to Helsinki

I love Helsinki. It is a city where I have lived almost my whole life and I know it well. There are days when the city seems like a small village where you know everyone and run into friends in every street corner but still at the same time you can feel like a tourist who discovers new places, visits museums and enjoys the street life.

Last Thursday was one of these days. First I met a good friend by accident and ended up with her in a café where the baristas know how I like my coffee. I enjoyed lunch in the company of my loved one. After that I ended up in the museum of contemporary art Kiasma as it is a great place to hang out with children. I borrowed a carrier from the cloakroom and wondered around with my baby thinking to whom give the Ars Fennica award this year. I couldn’t decide, but after the visit I realized that someone had already been kind enough to make the decision on my behalf. I truly like the museum building designed by Steven Hall. The coloured windows by the entrance form beautiful shades to the white walls and grey floors. The last piece of art that we experienced before we left was in the baby changing room; a part of a sound installationcalled Kiasma Revisited 1-3 by Finnish artist Vladislav Delay. As my baby needed some milk I decided to head to a café again. Fortuitously my dear mummy made me company and we went to a new coffee place called Patisserie Teemu & Markus. This tiny and beautiful café offers a wide selections of delicious pastries, and I have to admit that my macarons tasted as good as they looked. Even the cappuccino I had was great! The perfect day ended with a tram ride listening another passenger’s stories about how he remembers the moment when he took the first steps as a child.